“I knew that I didn’t want to do a sequel right away. Sequels are difficult and sequels aren’t always successful,” Lee told the Tom Joyner Morning Show. “I didn’t want to repeat myself as a storyteller or be pigeonholed as a director so I if I was going to revisit these characters, it would be ten years later. It just so happened to be a little bit longer as time goes on and other projects come up and Hollywood decides Black movies don’t make any money. There were some slow times.”

Reviewers have praised “The Best Man Holiday” for allowing the natural growth of its characters something that Lee says the studio was apprehensive about at first. With people already invested in the characters played by Taye Diggs, Monica Calhoun, Nia Long, Sanaa Lathan, Melissa de Sousa, Terrence Howard, Regina Hall, Morris Chestnut and Harold Perrineau, they were concerned that the sequel might leave the audience behind. Fortunately, Lee retained his vision and the movie that was released is the one he wanted to make.

“The studio was a little reluctant to do this version of the movie because it was such a departure from the first one. But the characters needed to grow and we needed to do some things that were a little more sophisticated and complex.” There is already talk of a “Best Man 3” which Lee says the studio was willing to consider even before the release of “Best Man Holiday.”

Although the $30 million opening weekend indicates a hit, Lee says the crossover audience hasn’t quite found the movie yet. USA Today caught the Black Twitter backlash after referring to the film as “race-themed” which unlike “12 Years a Slave” it is not. It’s about what happens when people grow up; something that any audience can relate to. Viewers laughed and cried as the movie dealt with themes of love, loss, heartbreak, family and finances.